If your house or office is on fire, the only thing on your mind is saving yourself. When people experience an emergency — whether it’s a fire, car accident, or even cutting your finger in the kitchen — hindsight is always 20/20. Understanding the ways that passive fire protection, such as fire dampers and fire-resistant materials, plays a part in your home or office is essential to keeping you, your family, and your coworkers safe. Passive fire protection measures are the unsung heroes that work silently in the background, helping to contain and mitigate the devastating effects of fires, ensuring that the structure remains intact, and providing valuable time for evacuation and emergency response.
What is Passive Fire Protection?
There are systems in a home or office building that work to keep you safe in the event of an emergency. When it comes to fire protection, there are two groups that you should be aware of: active fire protection and passive fire protection. Active fire protection involves the systems that are reactive, such as fire extinguishers and sprinklers, while passive fire protection is preventative.
What Does Passive Fire Protection Include?
Passive fire protection involves systems and measures that builders and architects put in place during construction to prevent damage in the event of a fire. Although these systems typically cannot be seen, they’re instrumental in reducing the amount of harm to people and the building itself. Some of the most common types of passive fire protection assets include:
What Is a Fire Damper?
A fire damper, such as this style manufactured by Lloyd Industries, is a type of passive fire protection product that contractors install in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) ducts to prevent smoke and fire from spreading in the event of an emergency. Heating and air conditioning vents run throughout buildings to move warm or cold air into individual spaces. In the event of a fire, smoke and flames may gain access to that ductwork, using it to spread the fire much faster throughout a building and causing substantial damage or loss of life. A fire damper automatically shuts in the event of a fire, preventing the flames and smoke from spreading faster throughout the building. Lloyd Industries carries a wide variety of fire damper products as well as other passive and active fire protection products.
What Is a Fire Door?
Another passive fire protection product is a fire door, also known as an access door. According to Lloyd Industries, “access doors are designed to provide entry to ductwork to access fire products.” A fire door is available in a variety of sizes and styles to meet your needs. Fire doors can help prevent the spread of flames and heat, although it’s essential to make sure that you select a door that is fire rated. Different products receive a fire rating, which tells you the approximate length of time that a piece of equipment can withstand fire before losing effectiveness.
What Is an Egress Path Marker?
In the event of a fire, people must know the easiest and quickest way out of a building. An egress path marker is a method of illuminating evacuation routes to demonstrate exit doors, highlight stairs and other objects that may cause confusion, or point people in the safest direction of travel.
When it comes to creating a fire safety plan, ensuring that your building considers active and passive fire protection is critical. The more you know about fire dampers, evacuation plans, and safety procedures, the more likely you are to react quickly and calmly in the event of an emergency.
Lloyd Industries has been manufacturing fire damper products as well as other fire protection equipment for over 35 years. Whether you’re an experienced architect looking for access doors or a contractor researching passive fire protection products for an office renovation, the team at Lloyd Industries has you covered. Contact them today at 215-412-4445 or visit their website for more information.
